the U.S. and foreign countries, including
as a result of economic sanctions and tariffs, may also adversely affect U.S. issuers, as well as non-U.S. issuers.
During a general downturn in
the financial markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that specific investments held by the Underlying Index will rise in value.
Index Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in
excess of its Underlying Index. Therefore, the Fund would not necessarily buy or sell a security
unless that security is added to or removed from, respectively, its Underlying Index, even if
that security generally is underperforming. Additionally, the Fund generally rebalances its portfolio in accordance with its Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to its Underlying Index’s rebalance schedule will typically result in
corresponding changes to the Fund’s rebalance schedule.
Foreign Investment Risk. Investments in the securities of
non-U.S. issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities.
Foreign securities may have relatively low market liquidity, greater market volatility, decreased publicly available information and less reliable financial information about issuers, and inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing and
financial reporting requirements and standards of practice, including recordkeeping standards, comparable to those applicable to domestic issuers. Foreign securities also are subject to the risks of possible seizure,
expropriation, nationalization, political or social instability, changes in economic or taxation policies or other adverse political or economic developments (in which the Fund could lose its entire investment in a certain market) and the
difficulty of enforcing obligations in other countries, including the possible adoption of foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls. Investments in foreign securities also may be subject to dividend
withholding or confiscatory taxes, currency blockage and/or transfer restrictions and higher transactional costs. To the extent the Fund invests in securities denominated in foreign currencies, fluctuations in the value of the U.S.
dollar relative to the values of other currencies may adversely affect investments in foreign securities and may negatively impact the Fund’s returns. Foreign companies generally may be subject to less stringent
regulations than U.S. companies, including financial reporting requirements and auditing and accounting controls, and may therefore be more susceptible to fraud or corruption. There may be less public information available about
foreign companies than U.S. companies, making it difficult to evaluate those foreign companies.
From time to time, certain companies in which the Fund invests may operate in, or have
dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or in countries the U.S. government identified as state sponsors of terrorism. One or more of these companies may
be subject to constraints under U.S. law or regulations that could negatively affect the company’s performance. Additionally, one or more of these companies could suffer damage to its reputation if the market identifies it
as a company that invests or deals with countries that the U.S. government identifies as state sponsors of terrorism or is subject to sanctions.
Equity Risk. Equity risk is the risk that the value of
equity securities, including common stocks, may fall due to both changes in general economic
conditions that impact the market as a whole, as well as factors that directly relate to a specific company or its industry. Such general economic conditions include changes in interest rates, periods of market turbulence or instability, or general
and prolonged periods of economic decline and cyclical change. It is possible that a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the common stocks that the Fund holds. In addition, equity risk
includes the risk that investor sentiment toward one or more industries will become negative, resulting in those investors exiting their investments in those industries, which could cause a reduction in the value of
companies in those industries more broadly. Equity risk also includes the risk of large-capitalization companies, which may
adapt more slowly to new competitive
challenges or may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential, and consequently may
underperform other segments of the equity market or the market as a whole. The value of a
company's common stock may fall solely because of factors, such as an increase in production costs, that negatively impact other companies in the same region, industry or sector of the market. A company's common stock also may
decline significantly in price over a short period of time due to factors specific to that company, including decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company's products or services. For example, an
adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report or the failure to make anticipated dividend
payments, may depress the value of common stock.
Non-Diversified Fund
Risk. The Fund is non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in the obligations or securities of a small number of issuers or any
single issuer than a diversified fund can. As a result, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in Share price than would occur in a diversified fund. This may increase the Fund's
volatility and cause the performance of a relatively small number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund's performance.
Geographic Concentration Risk. The Fund may from time to
time have a substantial amount of its assets invested in securities of issuers located in a
single country or a limited number of countries. Adverse economic, political or social conditions in those countries or regions may therefore have a significant negative impact on the Fund’s investment performance. For example, a
natural or other disaster could occur in a country or geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in that specific country or geographic region and
adversely impact the Fund’s investments in the affected region.
European Investment Risk. The Economic and Monetary Union
(the “EMU”) of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with
restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary
controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of
default by an EU member state on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member state may have
significant adverse effects on the economies of EU member states and the EU and Europe as a
whole. Responses to financial problems by EU member states, European governments, central banks and others, may not produce the desired results, may limit future growth and economic recovery, may result in social unrest,
or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and
other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial
markets, and asset valuations around the world. A number of countries in Eastern Europe remain relatively undeveloped and can be particularly sensitive to political and economic developments. Separately, the EU faces issues
involving its membership, structure, procedures and policies. The exit of one or more member
states from the EU, such as the departure of the United Kingdom, referred to as “Brexit”, could place the departing member's currency and banking system under severe stress or even in jeopardy. An exit by other member states will
likely result in increased volatility, illiquidity and potentially lower economic growth in the affected markets, which will adversely affect the Fund’s investments.
Asia Pacific Investment Risk. The level of development of
the economies of countries in the Asia Pacific region varies greatly. Furthermore, since the
economies of the countries in the region are largely intertwined, if an economic recession is experienced by any of these countries, it will likely adversely impact the economic performance of other countries in the region.
Certain economies in the region may be adversely affected by increased competition, high
inflation rates, undeveloped financial services sectors, currency